During mechanical injection of meat products, pickling solution is injected into the meat through a multitude of hollow needles, which are repeatedly inserted into the meat to achieve a predetermined percentage addition of solution. Excess solution is collected in a tray beneath the product for use after filtration to remove meat particles.
Currently available filter systems usually consist of a wedge wire drum, which rotates slowly. The recovered solution runs over the outside of the drum causing liquids to pass between the wires into a tank while the solid particles are scraped off the outside of the drum as it rotates. The solution is then filtered through static filter screens before being pumped back to the needles.
Often some solution is transferred with the meat particles still in the solution. Furthermore, when filtration is not completely effective in removing particles from the injection pickle solution, the particles end up in the pickle solution that returns to the needles. This particle matter in the solution can cause clogging which has an adverse effect on the percentage injection rate. In addition, filters, particularly static screens, are prone to becoming clogged by the particles remaining in the solution. This causes the need for repeated cleaning to reduce pump starvation, loss in injection pressure, and injection percentage variation.
Cleaning of static filters without cleaning the whole system can allow solid matter to pass through the filter and clog the system further down stream. Thus, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a filtering system for the filtering of injector fluids that improves upon the state of the art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a filter system that uses the height of flutes on an auger to retain fluid while still transporting solid materials to the end of the filter.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a filtering system that allows a fluid surface of liquid to be continually strained of foam.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to improve the effectiveness of a filtration system.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a filtration system that can be used in filtration applications other than in injection of meat products.
And still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a filter that can be back-flushed while the machine is running.
These and other objects, feature, or advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the specification and claims.